1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to waste disposers and in particular to food waste disposers having cutter-impeller means for comminuting waste in a grinding chamber and delivering the comminuted waste in the form of an effluent to an outlet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One conventional form of food waste disposer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,815 of Edward L. Ohime, which patent is owned by the assignee hereof. As shown therein, a cutting wheel is driven about a vertical axis at the lower end of a grinding chamber by an electric drive motor. The cutter wheel is provided with an upstanding cutter-impeller which cooperates with a shredder ring having a plurality of downwardly opening notches in its lower edge to comminute waste material delivered to the grinding chamber. The comminuted waste material is delivered from the grinding chamber in the form of an effluent by the mixing thereof in a suitable quantity of water delivered downwardly to the grinding chamber concurrently with the delivery of the waste material. The effluent may be discharged from the waste disposer through a suitable waste line, as desired.
Notwithstanding the delivery of water with the waste material to the grinding chamber, at times a portion of the waste material may become lodged in different portions of the structure. Such lodging of the waste material reduces the efficiency of the disposal operation and presents an undesirable condition from the point of view of sanitation and odorfree operation of the device.
A number of the other comminuting and disposal devices have been developed for use with food materials. Illustratively, William H. Taylor, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,359, shows a meat chopper utilizing a foraminous screen through which the meat is forced in the operation of the device.
Herbert J. Macemon, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,083, shows a waste disposal apparatus wherein a shredder ring is provided having a row of apertures at the upper end thereof for delivering water from the grinding chamber outwardly therethrough and thereby maintain a preselected maximum level of water in the grinding chamber. As discussed by Macemon, the level of the apertures is preselected to provide the desired level corresponding to an optimum supply of water in the grinding chamber during the grinding operation. Macemon teaches that the total area of the apertures should be large enough to discharge water at a rate high enough to preclude building up of a layer of water on the cutter wheel under normal operating conditions. Macemon teaches that the apertures provide a flow of water down the outer surfaces of the shredding ring so as to maintain the outer surface free of waste material and prevent clogging of the space around the downwardly opening notches. The Macemon apertures are circular in cross section.
Hans Jordan, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,912,176, shows a waste disposal apparatus having a free-swinging impeller with the shredding wall member including inwardly projecting teeth and elongated ribs.
In the food waste disposer of George R. Coss, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,639, a plurality of teeth are provided on the inner surface of the shredder ring to provide a threading-down effect.
Hans Jordan, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,677, shows a disposal device having a plurality of lugs projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the shredder ring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,329 of Ernest F. Shell et al., a food waste disposer is shown having upper apertures through which the effluent is impelled outwardly to an annular drain space substantially in the manner taught by Macemon, as discussed above.
Rolla J. Stout, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,462, shows a waste disposer having upper perforations through which the comminuted waste material passes to the outer annular drain passage. The inner surface of the shredder ring is provided with a plurality of elongated lugs extending diagonally therealong. The annular space around the shredder ring is substantially enlarged to assure free flow of the effluent outwardly through all of the apertures to the discharge.